A/N: My Spanish is quite rusty, so please forgive any grammar and usage errors you spot.
And to the reviewers: You guys continue to rock out loud. :)
Chapter 36 -Escape-
"Take the turtle to the containment unit," snapped Kanar.
"Wait! I want to see Katie," said Donatello. Jon ignored his plea, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him further into the main house.
Donatello wasn't about to go quietly. He yanked away from Jon, and spun around, crouching. A guard rushed at him, and he jumped, taking the man out with a neat snap-kick. Jon approached slowly.
"Donatello, I don't want to hurt you," he said, holding out a ham-sized hand.
"I don't want to hurt you, either, Jon," replied Don. "But I'm not getting locked up again." He backed up, staying out of Jon's reach.
"Jon, contain him," snapped Damien.
"Yes, Sir." Jon lunged, and Donatello dodged, darting around a massive table. He saw Benjamin reaching into his jacket. Donatello ducked his head, and charged into Benjamin Kanar. The man crumpled with a grunt. Bishop made a grab for the turtle, and Don's foot caught him in the stomach. Bishop staggered back. Donatello charged past Damien Kanar. The man grabbed at him, but his fingers slid across the smooth surface of Don's shell. He barely noticed the doctor falling backwards with a startled expression.
The door!
Donatello crashed through the front doors, and ran for all he was worth.
I've got to find Katie, thought Donatello. I've got to see her. She's the only one who can tell them I didn't do this. She's got to be ok. She's just got to. He dodged through the trees. Saw-toothed leaves caught at his skin as he shoved through the underbrush. A parrot squawked overhead, and Don nearly fell over with fright.
Stupid bird, he thought, recovering.
His foot caught on an exposed root, and he sprawled into the loamy soil. As luck would have it, the root saved him. Just as he hit the ground, he heard a pop, and a yellow streak flashed past.
Tranq dart! The thought sent Donatello scrambling as best he could to his feet, and running blindly through the jungle, determined to put as much space between him and the rifle-toting guards as possible. Another dart zipped past his head, and he ducked, but kept running.
The running footsteps behind him faded, but Donatello kept moving until he was certain there was no sound betraying a human's presence in the jungle around him. He sank to the ground under a banana plant, resting his shell against its trunk. Gasping sobs of exertion shook him.
Slowly, painfully, he threaded his arms down and around the bottom edge of his shell. Tucking first one leg, and then the other, up as high as he could, he stepped through the handcuffs. Having his hands in front of him was an enormous improvement in the comfort department.
I've got to stop running, he thought. I'm a sitting duck out here. This stupid band, the homing device… they'll find me within hours. I've got to take the fight to them. I've got to find Katie.
Donatello stood up slowly, and started walking, moving so silently through the undergrowth he passed under a sleeping conure without disturbing it. He threaded his way through the trees, avoiding two guard outposts, before he spotted the main house.
Don knelt in the leafy cover, watching the guards with grim satisfaction while they scurried here and there like so many ants in a hive.
Katie said the bands are removed for maintenance and medical care… The key to the band must be stored in Serling's clinic, thought Donatello, his eyes narrowing. If I'm caught in the clinic, I'll be trapped. If I keep this band on, though, they'll find me just as surely, and they have a quick way to incapacitate me. The band has to go.
First, the cuffs. Donatello melted back into the jungle. He made his way toward Katie's bungalow. He approached cautiously, scanning the area for any sign of Kanar's guards, but it seemed deserted.
As cautious as an antelope coming to water, he approached the bungalow. He slipped up the path to the front door, silent as a shadow, and tried the knob. It opened with a faint click, and Donatello disappeared inside. He didn't bother turning on a light in the gathering dusk, but made his way stealthily toward the lab.
Once in the lab, Donatello rummaged through the instruments, searching for a piece of wire he could use to unlock the handcuffs.
I sure wish Raph were here, he thought. I wonder if he knows that I know Casey taught him to pick locks…
Finding an appropriately stiff length of wire, Donatello got to work on the handcuff locks. He was so intent on the delicate maneuvers, he never heard the woman enter the room.
The second cuff fell away with a sharp click, just as the lights came on in the laboratory. Donatello jumped, whirling to face the woman standing in the doorway.
A young, dark-haired Latino woman stood with her mouth open in a silent "o". She stared at Donatello, wide-eyed with terror. He took a step toward her, and she backed away, holding up her hands.
"You must be Clara," said Donatello. He calculated the distance to the door, and decided he could catch her before she could get outside to raise the alarm.
"Please, you don't hurt me like you did Miss Katie!" the woman whimpered, cringing.
"I didn't hurt Katie!" said Donatello. He stood still, trying not to frighten her. "Please, can you tell me where they're keeping her? I think someone is trying to hurt Katie, but it isn't me."
"You didn't hurt Miss Katie? Mr. Benjamin said you did!" The woman, seeing Donatello stand still, stopped edging away, and watched him warily. "He said you bad animal. You hit Miss Katie!"
"I'm not an animal," Donatello ground out.
"You don't talk like no animal."
"Katie is my friend. I'm trying to help her. Please tell me where she is."
Clara looked at Donatello from dark eyes. Very slowly, she came forward. Donatello stood like a statue as she approached. She came cautiously, timidly. A few feet away, she stopped, watching him. When Donatello made no move, she crossed the final distance between them. She stood staring into his face, as if she were trying to see into his soul.
"Miss Katie said you were her friend," she said tremulously. Very slowly, she reached out, her eyes never leaving Donatello's face. She stroked his arm, just above the silver band. Donatello stood absolutely still.
"You saved Miss Katie. I saw. I saw Mr. Benjamin shoot Miss Katie with the dart. I saw you pull her out of the water. You saved her."
"You saw… Benjamin shot Katie? Why didn't you tell her father?" Donatello's voice rose with anger. The woman backed away, fear flashing again in her dark brown eyes.
"La pulsera," she whispered. She touched the silver band on her own arm. "I tell, I die."
Donatello's expression softened. "'The bracelet', I understand. Yes, Benjamin would hurt you if you told what you saw."
"Will you help Miss Katie if I tell you where she is?"
"I will. And I'll make sure Benjamin doesn't hurt you any more," promised Donatello rashly. "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone, ever again."
Clara nodded, satisfied. "There is a hospital, on the north side of the island. Small. You go, but there are many guards. You be careful."
"I'm always careful."
"Usted es un tortuga-hombre muy valiente." Clara said, smiling. Her eyes flashed with mirth as Donatello blushed.
"Uh, ok. Thanks," he mumbled. You are a very brave turtle-man.
"Usted es hermoso como un ángel. _ y también muy valiente." Donatello spoke softly, his accent clumsy. He wasn't sure he'd spoken clearly enough so that she'd understand, but her eyes filled with tears.
You are as beautiful as an angel, and also very brave.
"You help Miss Katie," she whispered. "You help Miss Katie, and I will tell what I saw. Mr. Benjamin is a bad man, a hombre loco. You stop him."
"I'll do my best, Clara. You'd better hide. If Benjamin finds out you saw him, he might try to hurt you."
Clara went quite pale under her dark tan. "I will stay here. I will wait for Miss Katie. No one will look for me. They see that I am here, in Miss Katie's casa. They will think I am doing what I am supposed to do. They think I too am un animal. Too stupid to think, too stupid to feel." Her eyes flashed.
"You are very brave," said Donatello again, smiling into her eyes. "Muy valiente. You remind me of my brother, Raphael. He is also muy valiente, and dangerous when he is angry."
"All gente Espanola are dangerous when we are angry," she said, flashing white teeth. "Perhaps your brother is tortuga del Latino, no?"
Donatello grinned. A Spanish turtle. Would that explain Raph's quick temper? But Don wasn't sure about the accent. "Could be," he said. "Thank you, Clara."
"Keep Miss Katie safe."
"I will. Be careful, Clara," said Donatello. He slipped out the front door, and disappeared into the gathering dusk. Clara watched him go with a smile.
"Adios, Senor Donatello. Buena suerte. Good luck!"